well aren't you supposed to take like at least a month off a year?
Plus Ive been in that situation before too. I took damn near 3 months off and just dicked off last year and when I went back in the gym I was still pressing damn near the same weight. My bench went to hell but I could still squat about the same....I couldnt curl nearly as much tho...

I guess the lack of training effects certain parts of the body more than others...

i switch up between building and I do consistent cuts...the only way i've found it to work in dropping weight and retaining most of my muscle...ultimately I want to be around 255-265 range, so i'm always doing something or other...I find it pretty effective though...I'm dropping about 4-5 lbs a month and retaining pretty much all of my muscle...strength is definitely there.

ive never heard a pro reccomend time off. i think you should play the intensity by feel if youre doing compounds 5 days a week or other intense training. but ive never heard anyone reccomend, oh just take some time off.

yeah a break is good...I did that same exact thing. Lifted for over a year without breaks, then just stopped. You'll be able to gain back your lost muscle mass pretty easily, and like you said, it's not rare to actually be stronger.